Royals
by pretty-pleasee
Summary: Clove Carlton, Beverly Hills' It Girl, is back from boarding school, and everything in her life seems to be falling perfectly into place. She's got a new boyfriend and a flawless reputation, but in the 90210 it's a known fact that the faster you rise, the harder you fall. Modern Day AU.
1. Super Rich Kids

Clove Carlton stepped out of her limo, inhaling the fresh Beverly Hills air for the first time in years. Admiring the three-story, stone mansion that stood before her, she pulled her Ray-Ban sunglasses over her eyes. The warm sun beat down on her pale arms, and she sighed contentedly. It was such a wonderful change from the wet, gloomy weather in Washington.

"Clove, darling, welcome home!" her mother exclaimed as she came gliding out of the house, her arms opened wide. She was dressed to a tee, as usual, clad in a navy blue Prada peplum dress with a pair of gold Louboutins. Her short, dark brown hair was curled perfectly, her makeup flawless.

"Mom, I've missed you so much," Clove smiled as her mother wrapped her in a hug.

"I've missed you too, sweetheart," her voice was kind and motherly, and Clove wished she could just sit and listen to her talk all day. Wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders, Clove's mom lead her towards the front doors, chatting breezily about all of the renovations they'd had done while she was gone.

High ceilings, crown molding, and crystal chandeliers awaited her inside, and the house smelled highly of hydrangeas, Clove's all-time favorite flower.  
"It's good to be home," she said happily, before scurrying up the grand staircase to her bedroom. Plopping down on her king sized bed, she kicked her combat boots off her feet and onto the fluffy white rug, which still had lines on it from vacuuming earlier in the day.

"Clove?" her dad said tentatively, peeking his head through the double doors that lead into her bedroom.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, jumping off her bed and running to hug him tightly. He kissed the top of her head before pushing her back a few feet and running his eyes over her.

"Look at you," he said proudly. "My little girl is growing up so fast."

"I'll be a junior next year," she smiled, breathing in the scent of her dad's cologne.

"So tell me," he said, sitting onto her bed, "how was boarding school?"

She sighed, "It was alright, I guess. The academic curriculum was killer, and there were these super intense ACT prep classes that I took second semester. But the weather was so cold and gloomy, so different from the atmosphere here, and it was actually depressing at times. I'm just glad I'm home."

He nodded understandingly, "Home to stay, this time."

"Thank God," she mumbled under her breath, and he looked at her with a puzzled look.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled. "Go back to what you were doing; I need to start getting ready for the dinner we're having tonight for my homecoming."

After shooing him out the room, she collapsed back onto her bed and crawled under her grey satin sheets. She still had a few more hours until the party began, and honestly, all she wanted to do was fall asleep and forget all of the horrible memories she'd made at boarding school.

* * *

Clove stared at her reflection in the mirror, applying an extra coat of red lipstick. Stepping back, she admired the finished product. She was dressed in a strapless, black sweetheart dress with lace chiffon and a silk belt a little above her bellybutton. Her nude pumps completed the outfit, and her brown hair was pulled into a loose side fishtail.

The doorbell rang, and Clove hurried out of her room and down the staircase to find her mom talking up a storm to Cato, one of her old friends, and his mom. She broke out into a huge smile. She'd missed him so much.

"Cato!" she squealed, squeezing past her mom to wrap him in a huge hug. He towered over her now, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"How's my little Clover?" his raspy voice said, and she scolded herself silently for the butterflies it gave her. His voice had definitely gotten deeper over the two years she was gone away in Washington, and she resisted the urge to rip off his shirt and admire the abs that she was sure had come in.

Ugh, she disgusted herself. This was Cato she was talking about. The Cato that had been getting wasted every night since seventh grade, the Cato that lost his virginity when he was eleven years old. Clove Carlton didn't get butterflies because of Cato Astoria, she got the urge to vomit.

"She's doing wonderful, thanks," she smiled, looking him up and down. She shamelessly stared a little below his waist for a second or two longer before shooting him a look that said _I'm impressed_. He smirked at her cockily, resisting the strong urge to trail his eyes down her petite yet muscular body.

It was meaningless flirting, they'd been doing it for God-only-knows how long. The farthest they'd ever gone was second base at a seventh grade party while playing Seven Minutes in Heaven, and the days afterward had been nothing short of awkward.

"Clove," Cato's mom said as she made her way inside, "you've grown up so very much since I last saw you."

"Thank you," she smiled politely, hugging her quickly. "How have you been, Mrs. Astoria?"

"I've been well. And you?"

"Much better now that I'm home," she said before turning back to Cato to avoid more talk about boarding school.

"Look at them," Cato's mom, Catherine, said with a small smile as she watched the two walk off together, "only two more years until they're gone."

Clove's mom sighed dramatically, saying, "I know. It's a shame. Your husband couldn't come tonight?"

"No, unfortunately he had to work late again."

"Well then we'll just have to schedule lunch one day soon when he's off so we can all catch up."

"Most definitely."

They went on making small talk with each other, as usual, until Glimmer and her parents arrived for dinner.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, it's lovely to see you again," Clove's mom Kendra said, portraying the role of the perfect hostess flawlessly.

"CLOVE!" Glimmer exclaimed from the doorway, running as fast as she could in her six-inch heels to hug her. "My God, have I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Glim. How is everything? You need to fill me in on everything I missed. Pronto."

Glimmer's grin widened, and she nodded excitedly. "Definitely." And the two of them headed back to the living room to gossip like typical teenagers, Cato trailing behind.

"So first things first," Clove smile mischievously, "boys."

Glimmer smirked, the slightest bit of a blush making its way onto her face. "I've actually been hooking up with Finnick Odair." Clove's eyes widened, her mouth hung slightly agape.

"How is he?" she begged, giggling the slightest bit.

"He's Finnick fucking Odair, how do you _think _he is?"

"Oh my God, I'm so jealous!"

"So what about you? Meet any super hot, rich boys at boarding school?"

"Oh, plenty," she said dramatically. "They were falling at my feet." The two of them laughed simultaneously, picking up right where they left off two years ago.

"Seriously," Glimmer smirked, "you had to have been hooking up with _someone_."

Clove had a sinking feeling in her gut as she replayed her time at boarding school in her mind. She'd been hooking up with much to many someones, but she wasn't quite ready to share with her friends the kind of person she'd turned into when she was away. "That's a story for another day," she said mysteriously, effectively ending the conversation on boys and hooking up.

"So how was boarding school, anyway?" Glimmer piped up, and again Clove was in no mood to talk about it.

"It was boring, and soggy, and cold, okay? Can we please just talk about something else?" she shot at Glimmer, smoothing down her dress in an attempt to calm herself down. Cato and Glimmer exchanged a look that only best friends could understand, before turning back to Clove and changing the topic of conversation as she'd asked.

_Ding-dong._

Clove stood up from the couch quickly, mumbling, "That must be Marvel."

She made her way to the front door hurriedly, eager to get away from Glimmer and Cato. Talking about boarding school was putting her too close to the edge, so she took a deep breath and opened the door to find Marvel and his parents standing on her porch, smiling sweetly.

"Marvel!" she exclaimed before he wrapped her tiny body into a huge hug. Her stomach did a few flips, and immediately she blushed at her absurd action. Still, she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of his muscular body pressed against hers. "Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford, looking wonderful, as always."

Marvel's parents were two of the most in love people Clove had ever met, and they always seemed so happy and together whenever she saw them.

She invited them inside, closing the door behind her before leading the three of them through the foyer to the back of the house. "The other parents are over there by the bar, and Cato and Glimmer are in the living room." Marvel's parents made their way over to the bar to meet up with the other adults, but Marvel pulled Clove aside before they went into the living room.

"How are you, Clove? You seem a little upset. Is something wrong?"

She swallowed hard; Marvel was great at reading people. "No," she forced, "everything's fine."

He stared into her eyes intently for a few seconds, and it felt like he was looking right past her eyes and into her soul. "If you need anything," he offered sympathetically, "you know I'll always be here for you."

That was what she loved about Marvel. He wasn't going to push her for answers; he knew she'd talk when she was ready. "Come on," she plastered on a fake smile, taking him by the hand, "let's go back to the living room."

* * *

After dinner was over and dessert was served, everyone sat around in the living room, the atmosphere light and carefree. Clove was half lying on the couch, her head resting on Cato's shoulder. Glimmer sat in an armchair a few feet away, and Marvel was next to Clove on the leather sofa.

"So Clove," Glimmer inquired as their conversation about Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark came to a close, "you still haven't told us about boarding school."

"There's nothing to tell," she said curtly, trying painfully to maintain composure.

"_Come on_, you're honestly telling us that _nothing _happened at your preppy, New England boarding school? No parties, no boys, nothing but studying?"

Oh _God_. Parties. Clove shivered just at the thought of those parties. Granted, she didn't even remember half of them, so there wasn't much to tell. "I told you," Clove said, practically daring Glimmer to say more, "it was boring."

Glimmer, never one to back down from a challenge, continued questioning her incessantly. "I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie?" Clove asked simply.

Glimmer just shook her head, "I don't know."

"Then just let it go."

"I just don't understand why you won't-"

"That's it," Clove said under her breath, standing up from her spot on the couch and hurrying out of the room. Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes, and her heart literally _hurt_. Sure, she was emotionally torn apart, but her heart physically felt like it was about to shatter.

Collapsing onto her bed, she let her tears flow freely as she remembered that night at boarding school that had changed everything. The night that had turned their harmless fun into something much more dangerous and risky. Sobs wracked her body, and she was shaking almost uncontrollably.

"Clove? Oh my God, Clove, are you okay? What's wrong? Talk to me, Clove." Marvel came barging into her room, talking quickly but calmly. Taking a few deep breaths, she stood up from her bed, where she had been curled up in the fetal position. Silently, she slipped her arms around his torso, resting her chin on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a solid five minutes, his fingers tracing circles on her lower back absent-mindedly. Eventually, she broke away from him, shaking her head at how foolish she was acting.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just being weird."

"Clove? Are you sure you're okay?"

God, he really had gotten attractive over the last two years.

"Clove?" he said again, but she didn't hear him. She was far too busy admiring the way his face looked when he was concerned. "Clove, promise me that-"

The feeling of her lips connecting with his effectively cut him off. His initial shock was overcome by the desire that spread itself throughout his veins, slowly stripping away any sense of rational thinking he may have once had. There was only one thought running through his mind: Clove Carlton was kissing him, and he was kissing her back.

* * *

**AN:**

**Well first of all, thank you for reading :P I'm guessing the title or the description or the characters lured you in here one way or another, so I hope you weren't disappointed with what you found.**

**Second of all, I have a **_**lot **_**planned for this story, but I'm going to wait and see if this sparks any interest before I write the next chapter. So I'm begging you, **_**please **_**review (and favorite and follow if you liked it :P) and let me know what you think of this so far.**

**~xoxo~**


	2. Heavy In Your Arms

**Hi guys! A big thanks to Clovelyshannonigans, Clatoforeverinmyheart, OdairBear, ClovelyLittleReader, Guest (Yes, this is a Clato story. It's coming soon, I promise :P), Guest (Don't worry, it's coming soon), Guest (Thank you so much!), Caroline (Here's the update you requested :P), and Guest (Thank you!) for reviewing. It means so much to me!**

* * *

One and a half months had passed since Clove had moved back to Beverly Hills, since she'd started dating golden boy Marvel Rutherford. Some days were spent tanning by the pool sipping fresh mint margaritas; others were spent shopping on Rodeo Drive with her closest friends. But when the sun went down, they went out. It was ninety days and nights of pure bliss, but everyone knows that all good things eventually come to an end.

For the first time in ages, Clove was stuck at home for the night while her friends went out partying without her. She'd come down with some kind of 24-hour bug, and despite her protests that she felt _fine_, her maid Eleanora refused to let her leave the house. But while she was curled up in bed having a _Pretty Little Liars _marathon, two of her closest friends were doing something unspeakable together, something that would change their lives forever.

* * *

Cato awoke to a persistent knocking on his front door, and he stumbled out of bed and down the stairs to find a nervous-looking Marvel pacing back and forth on his front porch.

"Dude, you look like shit," he greeted, opening the door for his friend.

Marvel ignored him, instead saying, "I fucked up, man."

"What happened?" he asked, still half asleep.

"I…Umm, I…"

Cato, becoming more aware of his surroundings, asked again, "Man, what the hell happened?"

"I slept with Glimmer."

It took all of Cato's might to keep his jaw from dropping. There was obviously some kind of explanation; good, loyal Marvel would never do something like that to Clove. "What do you mean you slept with her?"

"We had sex, Cato, what the hell else? I lost my fucking virginity to my girlfriend's best friend. God, Clove's going to _kill _me when she finds out. How could I be so god damn _stupid_?"

Shaking his head, Cato struggled to process this new information. Marvel was right, of course; as soon as she found out, Clove was going to dump his ass. He glanced up at his best friend, who looked as if he hadn't slept all night. There were dark bags under his eyes, his hair was a tangled mess, and he was looking at Cato as if his life depended on whatever he said next. Cato sighed, "You can't tell her."

She deserved to know, even Cato knew that, but if the truth was going to do more harm than good, what was the point of telling it?

"But-"

"No buts, dude. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Marvel shook his head, burying his face in his hands. No way in hell was he going to be able to face her without spilling everything. The guilt was already eating him alive. "Cato, I _have _to tell her."

Cato shrugged, "You don't _have _to tell her anything. I'm just saying…your life is going to be a whole hell of a lot simpler if she doesn't know."

Marvel considered this. Maybe things _could _go back to normal. The past was the past. He hadn't meant to sleep with Glimmer; it was just their teenage hormones acting on impulse. Nothing had changed. He still loved Clove, even if he may have forgotten that last night.

"I need a drink," he mumbled, making a beeline for Cato's dad's liquor cabinet.

* * *

Glimmer paced back and forth in her room, biting her fingernails nervously. She was searching for some kind of logical explanation as to why she would sleep with her best friend's boyfriend, but that was the problem – there was no justification for what she did. They were drunk and lonely and it had seemed like a good idea at the time. God, she was screwed. Not only was she going to lose her best friend, but Clove was also going to _ruin _her in the process.

Her phone rang from its spot on her bed across the room, and she walked towards it warily. Picking it up, her heart sunk. It was Clove.

She sent her to voicemail, her heart pounding out of her chest when a notification for one new voice message popped up on her screen. Pressing it slowly, she let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding when Clove's voice was its usual chirpy self.

"Hey Glim! Why aren't you answering your phone? I'm bored out of my effing mind, so I'm on the way to your house. Be there in like five minutes! Mwah!"

Glimmer was dialing her number before she could stop herself, and Clove answered on the second ring.

"Get my message?"

"Yeah," Glimmer fake coughed, "I'm super sick, and my mom isn't allowing visitors."

Holding her breath, she waited for Clove to answer. "Oh," she sounded disappointed. Glimmer briefly wondered how disappointed she would sound if she found out she'd been banging her boyfriend last night. Goodness, she disgusted herself. "Well I hope everything is okay."

"Yeah," Glimmer tried to sound as pitiful as she could, "I probably just caught what you had."

"Aw, I'm so sorry Glim! Well I gotta go, but I'll definitely call you later!"

Hanging up the phone, Glimmer slid down the wall pitifully, burying her face in her knees. She cried loud, hysterical sobs that made her entire body shake. She knew that sooner or later – preferably later – she would have to face Clove, but in that moment, all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball of guilt and despair and forget how much of a messed up life she was living.

* * *

"Johanna? Hey, what are you doing today?"

"I'm headed to the beach to play volleyball with Katniss. Wanna come with?"

"Ooh, yes! Should I meet you guys at the usual spot?"

"That's where we'll be. Actually, could you swing by Cato's and pick up Annie on your way there? We're going to need four players, and I don't think she has plans."

"Sure. See you in fifteen minutes, Jo."

"See you," she said before hanging up.

Clove drove down the perfectly paved, tree-lined streets of Beverly Hills with the top of her black _Mercedes _down, her flawlessly manicured fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. The sun shone brightly directly overhead, not a cloud in sight. She pulled into Cato's circle drive effortlessly, just as she had countless times this summer. Climbing out of her car, she made her way around the fountain in front of his house up to his front door, her flip-flops slapping against the pavement as she walked. She only had to ring his doorbell once before she was greeted by an intoxicated looking Marvel, who stood there dumbly when he realized who she was.

"Baby? What are you doing here?" she asked, before kissing him firmly on the lips. Not waiting for a reply, she pushed him aside gently and walked through the two grand staircases to the living room, where a shirtless Cato sat on the couch playing video games.

"Is Annie home?"

He glanced up at her, pausing his game and setting down the controller. "She's in her room. Why?"

"We need her for volleyball," she answered before calling up to her friend.

"Oh," he nodded, grabbing his glass of scotch off the coffee table and taking a long sip before holding it out to Clove. Scrunching up her nose in disgust, she shook her head. Annie came running down the stairs, smiling when she saw Clove.

"What's up?" she asked, making her way into the living room.

"Jo, Kat, and I are going to play beach volleyball and we need you. Can you come?"

"Yeah, one second. Let me run up to my room and throw on a bathing suit."

Clove nodded in response, turning back to Cato. "By the way, why is my boyfriend drunk off his ass at noon on a Thursday afternoon?"

Cato grunted, "Long story."

Clove quirked an eyebrow, "Rough night?"

"You could say that," Cato chuckled, shaking his head a little.

Clove nodded slightly, busying herself by picking at her fingernails absent-mindedly. There were red flags going off in her head, and she was doing everything in her power to ignore them. She'd only been back for a month and a half, and everything was going _perfect_. The last thing she wanted to deal with was drama. Convincing herself that Marvel's supposed "rough night" only involved getting wasted and passing out at Cato's when they got back from whatever party they'd attended, she ran her fingers through her long, knotty hair carelessly.

"I'm ready!" Annie was standing at the bottom of the staircase, a small cover up over her pink string bikini. Cato eyed her protectively, and Clove laughed, shaking her head. He could be such a big brother sometimes.

"I promise I won't let her get into _too _much trouble," Clove smirked, enjoying the look of horror on Cato's face. "Let's go."

"So Annie," she started the engine of her car and sped out of the driveway, "how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Tired," she answered simply. "Swimming practice has been kicking my ass."

Clove glanced at her apologetically, "I completely understand. I have like, two weeks of freedom left before volleyball starts up again."

Annie just nodded in understanding, her long, reddish-brown hair blowing in the wind. The air smelled salty and clean, and she could hear the incessant crashing of the waves upon the shore from miles away. Smiling absentmindedly, Annie stared out of the car at all of the mansions they drove past. She couldn't imagine a life outside Beverly Hills; the houses, the parties, the shopping, it was all she'd ever known. Sure, she had vacationed all over the world, but she couldn't understand how people actually _lived _in places like Paris and Rome. She wondered if people thought that about Beverly Hills, the only home she had ever known.

"We're here," Clove said as the car came to a stop outside Katniss' beach house. Sliding her sandals back onto her feet, Annie stepped out of the sports car, blushing when a couple of boys across the street wolf-whistled at her. Clove smirked at her, "Get used to it. You got pretty hot over the summer, if I do say so myself."

Annie rolled her bright blue eyes, letting out a giggle and slinging her beach bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, right."

"You don't think you're pretty," Clove said, more as a statement than a question.

"No, not really," she admitted, a sad smile forming on her lips. "I mean, I guess I think I'm more cute than pretty. I've always just been Cato's adorable little sister."

They started up the steps to the front door, Clove raising her eyebrows at her as they went. "Do you have any idea how much you have changed since I've been back?"

"No," Annie laughed. Clove just shook her head in disbelief.

Tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, Clove knocked on the glass double doors of the beach house. "So," Clove changed the subject, "I don't suppose you've heard anything from Glimmer lately?"

Annie paled; she had been hoping Clove wouldn't bring up Glimmer. She wanted nothing more than to forget what she'd overheard Marvel saying to her brother this morning.

Clove immediately narrowed her eyes, "What do you know?"

"Nothing," she lied.

"Annie, I know you well enough to know that you're lying to me right now."

"I, umm…I don't know what-"

"Hey!" Katniss opened the doors to the house, smiling wide at the two girls.

Annie tried not to look too relieved at the sudden interruption. Ignoring the skeptical look Clove was giving her, she desperately hoped that the topic would be left alone for the rest of the night, although she knew that the likelihood of that happening was slim to none.

* * *

Clove woke in a tangle of sheets and limbs, squinting at the sunlight that was peeking through a crack in the curtains. She sat upright on the couch, cracking her back in the process. After kicking Johanna's leg and Katniss' arm off her body, she nudged the three girls awake.

"What time is it?" Annie asked, rubbing her eyes. Clove shrugged, reaching for her phone on the coffee table.

"Noon," she answered finally, scrolling through multiple texts and missed calls from different people. There was still nothing from Glimmer.

Actually, she hadn't heard from Marvel since she'd seen him at Cato's yesterday, which was very unlike him. Standing up from her spot on the couch, she made her way onto the balcony before dialing Marvel's number.

"Hello?" he sounded tired.

"I'm sorry baby. Did I wake you up?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's okay. I needed to wake up anyway."

Clove couldn't help but note how uninterested in the conversation he sounded. He was talking to her in the way he would talk to one of his acquaintances, not someone whom he supposedly loved. She heard him sigh on the other end of the phone, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Everything alright?"

"What?" he asked abruptly, almost as if he'd forgotten she was still on the phone. "No, I'm fine."

Anyone with ears could tell that he was lying to her, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was losing him. They never lied to each other.

"Oh," she said before an idea struck her. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Umm, I'm not sure yet. Why?"

"So you're free," she said. "Good."

"Wha-"

"Meet me in the penthouse of The Plaza Hotel at 7," she said before hanging up with him. If he was forgetting how much he loved her, she had no choice but to make him remember.

* * *

**AN:**

**Oooohhh so what do you think is going to happen? Will Marvel show up at the hotel? And if he does, what do you think might happen? I'll give you a hint…I got my inspiration for the next chapter from season 1 of Gossip Girl.**

**Also, I'm hoping to update this story around two or three times a month, but it may easily vary from month to month. Aside from the fact that school is especially hard this year, I get writer's block all the time. Most of the time it can be cured simply by listening to music or watching an episode or two of **_**Gossip Girl**_** or **_**Revenge**_**, but sometimes I have to erase what I've written for the entire chapter and restart simply because I'm unhappy with the direction the story is headed in. That being said, I apologize in advance if I ever take more than three or four weeks to update. Please bear with me :)**

**Anyway, reviews are another thing that help to cure my writer's block, so **_**please,**_** I am begging you, leave me a review and let me know what you think! Thanks again for reading!**

**~xoxo~**


	3. Wicked Games

**Thank you thank you thank you to Clatoforeverinmyheart, OdairBear, ClovelyLittleReader, Guest (Hahahah well thank you so much!), Guest (I wouldn't have it any other way :P), and ****Flinx-Ikariluv10 (You are 100% correct!) for your awesome reviews! I wouldn't be taking the time to write this if it weren't for you cool people :D**

* * *

Clove lit the last candle in the dimly lit room before setting down the lighter on the bedside table and collapsing onto the king sized bed of the master bedroom in the penthouse. She toyed with the lace edge of her lingerie anxiously, her heartbeat faster than usual. Tonight was the night. She was finally going to lose her virginity, to Marvel Davenport none less.

Granted, she had done plenty of things with plenty of boys at boarding school, but she always stopped them at third base. It was what came after third base that scared her, but she needed to do this to secure her relationship with Marvel. If she were single in the beginning of the school year, her spot as queen bee would certainly be threatened. This _needed_ to happen.

Grabbing a shot of tequila off the dresser, she downed one before grabbing another and drinking it too. Alcohol definitely took the edge off; she knew that for a fact.

She was about to take a third shot when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, she stood up from the bed and glanced in the mirror on her way to the door. She looked great; Marvel was going to love her.

Opening the door wide, she smiled at her boyfriend before taking his hand and leading him into the bedroom. He was ogling at her very exposed body, and she laughed that perfect laugh of hers.

"Marvel," she whispered, pushing him down onto the bed. "I want you. I _need _you."

"Clove," he said reluctantly, but her lips cut him off. He moaned, and she smirked. "Clove," he said again, sitting upright on the bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, pouting. He was inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply, and Clove felt relieved to know that he was scared too. "Marvel, babe, don't be nervous," she said, climbing on top of him once more.

She unbuttoned his shirt before discarding it on the ground, and her fragile fingers traced his jawline delicately. "Don't you want me?" she whispered, and she was almost positive that he did.

"Of course I do, Clove. But you don't want me."

Clove gave him a puzzled look, "Why would you say that?"

"Clove," he started, moving her off his lap and onto the bed. He sat there quietly for a while, picking at his fingernails.

"What's wrong, baby?" she asked him nervously.

"I didn't think it would be this hard," he mumbled more to himself than to her.

"Marvel, you're making me nervous. What's wrong?"

"Please don't hate me," his trembling voice said quietly.

"Why would I hate you?" she asked, her voice wobbly and unsure.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, Clove. It was a mistake, a drunken mistake."

"What are you talking about?" she said, her eyes filling up with tears because she was almost positive she knew what was coming next.

"Clove, I'm so sorry."

She wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, mustering up all of the courage she had in her body. "No, say it out loud. Tell me what you did to make you feel so sorry."

"I slept with Glimmer," his voice was lighter than a whisper, his eyes fixed on the ground. Her silence spoke volumes, and he reached a hand out to her tentatively.

"Don't," she spit at him, swatting away his hand, "_don't touch me._"

She stood up from the bed, pacing back and forth, her initial shock replaced with fury. "Get out," she hissed, her words laced with venom. "Now."

"Clove," he took a step towards her, and she snarled.

"I said _leave_."

"Please," he begged, "please let me explain."

"I don't want an explanation!" she screamed, her voice cracking on the last word. She turned away from him, refusing to let him see her cry.

His footsteps echoed throughout the otherwise silent hotel room, followed by the opening and closing of the door. She screamed a terrifying scream, collapsing onto the ground in a heap of tears.

She hated him. She hated his stupid hair and his stupid eyes and his stupid hands that had surely trailed over _every_ _god damn_ inch of Glimmer's flawless skin.

Pulling on a silk robe from the hotel, she downed two more shorts before storming out of the room and taking the elevator down to the lobby hurriedly. She needed to get out of this place. Immediately.

She didn't call for her limo to come pick her up. No, she just walked right out of the front doors of the hotel and onto the street. Crying silently, she wiped away at her tears as she stumbled in an unknown direction.

She had no phone, no boyfriend, and no best friend. She was completely alone in the world.

After a while, her sadness was replaced with a strong thirst for revenge. It didn't take long for her to run out of tears and begin thinking only of ways she could ruin Marvel and Glimmer's reputations. The moon was high in the sky when Cato's limo slowed down beside her on the street.

"Oh my gosh, Clove. Are you alright?"

She rolled her eyes, sniffling a little, "I'm fine. I don't need your help."

Ignoring her remarks he opened the car door, saying, "Get in."

"No," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Stop acting like a bitch and get in the damn car before you get kidnapped."

"Well when you put it that way," she scoffed, sliding into the backseat of the limo to shut him up.

Cato whispered something to the driver before turning back to face her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She laughed an emotionless laugh, as she shook her head again, "No."

"What happened?"

"Marvel and Glimmer slept together," her voice was full of disgust, and Cato swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Are you okay?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Clove turned to face him, giving him a sad smile. They locked eyes, and it would be impossible to tell which one of them moved towards the other first, for they exchanged a silent, mutual agreement in one glance. When their lips finally connected, Clove was filled with a feeling of anticipation mixed with guilt and a little bit of pleasure.

Cato deepened the kiss, pushing her down onto the seat before climbing on top of her. She peeled off his jacket before removing his shirt, never breaking the kiss. When they finally parted for air, he stared at her for a long time, studying every feature of her face. This time, she kissed him, removing her robe to expose her near-perfect body, which was clad in only a skimpy bra and underwear.

"Are you sure?" he whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

Everything about the situation was so, _so_ wrong, but somehow things had never felt more right.

* * *

"Shit," Clove whispered. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit._"

"What the _hell_?" Cato grumbled, rolling over in his bed to find a half-naked Clove pacing back and forth by the window. "Oh my gosh," he sat up in his bed as a dreadful realization came over him. "We didn't…?"

Clove turned to face him sharply, shooting him a grave look. "We did."

"What do we do about this then?" he asked, motioning back and forth between them.

"We forget it, Cato," she said without missing a beat. "_No one _can ever know about this other than the two of us."

"Okay," he nodded, and relief rushed through his veins. As long as this remained a secret, he still had a best friend, although he couldn't say the same for Clove. He could only imagine what kind of revenge she was surely planning for Glimmer and Marvel.

Sitting down in the window seat, Clove looked out to the mountains in the distance and sighed. She fought back tears, refusing to let Cato see her as an emotional wreck twice in less than 24 hours. Marvel could have had anyone else in the entire world, just not her best friend. The fact that two of the people she loved and trusted most in the world had betrayed her made it all the more painful. She felt angry, depressed, and vengeful all at the same time, and she was still trying to figure out how that could be.

"Clove," Cato said, sitting next to her on the window seat. "If it makes any difference, I think Marvel made a big mistake when he cheated on you."

Her heart felt another tinge of betrayal, and she stood up from the window seat abruptly. "I should really get going," she said with a strained voice. Pulling on her robe from the night before, she left hurriedly and without another word, not even realizing that Annie had been hiding behind a column by the staircase, listening to every word they said.

* * *

Fumbling for her keys, Clove tiptoed towards her front door hurriedly, praying that no one would see her in her current state. She was doing pretty well not getting spotted until she slipped inside to find her mother sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen sipping her morning coffee. Her mom turned around at the sound of the door opening and smiled when she saw Clove, purposely ignoring her scandalous apparel.

Clove stared at her mom for a few moments before a whole new wave of sadness came over her. "Mommy," she said, her fragile voice cracking. Tears filled her doe eyes, as she stood there in the doorway looking more weak and frail than ever before.

"Oh my goodness, Clover. What's wrong?" her mother rushed over to her, wrapping her into a hug. Clove didn't answer her, instead burying her face in her mother's shoulder as she cried loud, disturbing sobs.

Her mother, the angel she was, didn't ask any questions. She rubbed Clove's back comfortingly, hugging her tightly. They stood there in the foyer like that for quite some time, and by the time Clove loosened her grip on her mom, her face was blotchy and drained.

"Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart?" her mom's voice was so kind and considerate, and Clove felt guilty for the umpteenth time in the past day. She couldn't tell anyone about this, much less her own mother.

Shaking her head, she answered, "No, not really."

"Okay," her mother smiled at her sweetly. "Just know that you can come to me with anything, anytime. I love you, darling."

Taking a shaky breath, she said quietly, "I love you, too."

As Clove stood beside her mom in that moment, she saw the caring woman inside of her for the first time in ages. Lately she'd been so busy planning parties and founding charities that she seemed to have forgotten that she was also a mother. Smiling a genuine smile, Clove turned on her heel and ascended the stairs to her room to plan her revenge.

* * *

Four hours and two espresso shots later, Clove had finally come up with the perfect plan to get revenge on Glimmer and Marvel, but there was no way she could pull it off alone. She needed her partner in crime, and she needed him _now_.

"Eleanora," Clove yelled, summoning her maid.

"Yes, Miss Clove?" she replied, her British accent strong, as she came running into the room.

"Get Peeta on the phone and tell him I need to see him as soon as possible."

"Yes, Miss Clove," Eleanora nodded vigorously, hurrying into the hall.

Clove laid down against her pillow, smirking. Gosh, she couldn't wait to see the look on Glimmer's face when her intricate plan unfolded right before her eyes, and Clove intended to have a front row seat.

Her phone vibrated on her bedside table, and Clove picked it up to find Marvel's name on her screen. Smirking, she accepted the call, successfully beginning her plan to revenge.

"Marvel," Clove chirped, desperately hoping she didn't sound too disgusted with him.

"Clove?" he asked, sounding confused. "Is that you?"

"Why of course it's me, silly! Who else would it be?"

"You're…why aren't you…I thought you hated me."

"Well," Clove sighed dramatically, "I thought _a lot _about it. And I've decided to leave the past in the past. So you slept with Glimmer, who cares? I don't care if she's your first, as long as I'm your last."

Marvel let out an audible sigh on the other side of the phone, and Clove rolled her eyes, practically scoffing. _As if _she would let him off the hook so easily. "I'm so glad we can get past this Clove. And you will _definitely _be my last, I promise."

"Thank goodness," she said cheerfully.

"Clove?" he asked, and Clove rolled her eyes again. She couldn't help it; every single word he said pissed her off.

"Yes, baby?" she answered sweetly.

"I love you."

Well, _that _was uncalled for. She pushed down the lump in her throat, reminding herself of the dangers of getting her emotions involved in revenge.

"I love you, too," her voice was so fake that it disgusted her, but Marvel was buying into it hook, line, and sinker. Peeta appeared in her doorway, smirking. "I've got to go, babe, but I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone and throwing it onto her bed, Clove practically leaped up and ran towards Peeta, flinging her arms around his shoulders and squealing girlishly. "Peeta," she said into his neck, "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you more. It's been, what, two years?"

Clove nodded, "Two years too long."

"Definitely," he started, his charisma stronger than ever. "So Eleanora said you needed to see me. What's going on?"

"Are you still in touch with your devious ways?" she asked.

Peeta smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "More than ever."

"Wonderful. Because I have a mission for us."

"Who are the targets?" he asked immediately, plopping down on her bed.

"Glimmer Davenport and Marvel Rutherford."

Peeta quirked an eyebrow at her suspiciously, "I thought those two were your best friends?"

"Yeah," Clove swallowed hard, "I did too."

"What happe-"

"Nothing that concerns you, okay? I just need your help."

"Whatever," he mumbled before motioning for her to continue.

"Well first of all, I'm going to need to host a party in two weeks exactly. And when I say party, I mean over the top, insanely exclusive party. Everyone who's anyone in Beverly Hills _has _to be there, which will also include Glimmer and Marvel. Now, I know Glimmer's deepest, darkest secret -she told me last month- and I'm planning on using it as blackmail on her, but it's going to take a lot of manipulation and lies for everything to work out the way I've planned it."

"And what might perfect little Glimmer Davenport's deepest, darkest secret be?"

The corners of her mouth twitched upward in a smirk, and the words she'd been dying to tell someone since the day she found out rolled right off her tongue. "She killed someone."

Payback was a bitch, but so was Clove Carlton.

**AN:**

**Hello lovelies! I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter, but it's about as good as it's going to get. I keep coming up with all these amazing plot points that I want to include in this story, but I'm so busy nowadays that I can never get them written :(**

**Anyways, this chapter was a bit on the scandalous side, and if you couldn't tell, I am one of the most un-scandalous people you will ever meet (I've done a total of about three **_**semi**_**-scandalous things in my entire life). That being said, sorry if the beginning of the chapter was really awkward. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think will happen, what you want to happen, etc. You have no idea how happy I get when I check my email and I see a new review or favorite or follow on this story :)**

**~xoxo~**


	4. Young and Beautiful

**Okay, so another GIANT thank you to Clatoforeverinmyheart, Samsterhamster118, OdairBear, NewNickyCage, Guest (I know :O), Guest (thank you so much!), and ClovelyLittleReader for being awesome people and reviewing this story!**

* * *

Summers in the 90210 were unlike any other. While the adults worked their behinds off to maintain their overabundant incomes, their elite offspring spent their days shopping, tanning, and partying. For two months of the year, the children of some of the wealthiest people in the nation had complete freedom to let loose and forget about fulfilling their parents' extreme expectations. From the outside looking in, it was a picture perfect life: no responsibilities, only relaxation and blissfulness. But lying right beneath the surface were secrets and lies intricate and dangerous enough to tear apart even the strongest of bonds.

* * *

_Saturday, one week until the party._

Clove and Glimmer lounged by the shore lazily, working on their back-to-school tans and planning their next party together. They gossiped incessantly about everything from Kim Kardashian's baby's name to Miley Cyrus' new music video, and a week ago this would have been nothing out of the ordinary for either of the two girls. Now, however, seven days later, Clove was out for Glimmer's blood, and she wasn't letting anything stand in the way of her plan for revenge, not even her deep-rooted hatred for the girl she once called her best friend. If anything, her desire to see her ex-best friend's demise as golden girl of Beverly Hills urged her on even more.

Glimmer was as unsuspecting as ever, sipping on a strawberry martini carelessly. Her body was overly exposed in a designer bikini that was two sizes too small. Clove had to hide her look of distaste every time she so much as glanced at the blonde. It had taken Glimmer's act of betrayal for Clove to see her for what she really was: a murderer.

It took a few days for Clove to remember that none of what they were doing together was real, that it was all just pretend. After a while, she started repeating the same thing in her head every time she laid eyes on Glimmer: _She slept with your boyfriend._ It was a surprisingly effective method of teaching yourself to hate a person.

Her white iPhone vibrated in her lap, and she glanced at it to see Cato's name flashing across her screen. Brushing the sand off her body as she stood up off her beach towel, Clove walked a considerable distance from Glimmer before accepting the call.

"What do you want?" Clove snapped into the phone, sounding perpetually irritated.

She could practically hear Cato smirking on the other end of the phone, "Peeta told me about your little plan for revenge on Glimmer, and I was calling to warn you. Glimmer is relentless. If she gets wind of this, she _will_ ruinyou."

An emotionless laugh escaped from Clove's mouth, "Not if I ruin her first, Cato. I know _a lot _of secrets about Glimmer, and even more about her family. Unless she wants to spend the rest of her life in a jail cell, she's not going to do a thing to me."

"Clove," Cato said, and she had to resist from rolling her eyes at the concern in his voice. You sleep with a guy _one time _and all of the sudden he feels compelled to have some kind of _responsibility _for your wellbeing. "Just…be careful."

Clove let out an audible sigh, "I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do, but-"

"I can take care of myself, alright?" she snapped, annoyed that he was treating her like a child. She had plenty of experience in this department. After all, blackmailing had been her specialty back at boarding school.

* * *

"Peeta," Clove yelled as she beat on his front door urgently. "Peeta!"

"_What?_" he answered the door, raising his eyebrows when he saw the brunette standing on his front porch with her arms folded across her chest.

Pushing past him, she walked into his house without an invitation as she inhaled the scent of freshly baked bread that drifted throughout his house. She made a beeline for the kitchen, unable to resist the cooking of the famous Mr. Mellark.

"Why did you tell Cato about my plan to get revenge on Glimmer?" her voice sounded calm, but Peeta knew that it was just a façade to hide her seething anger. One wrong answer and she wouldn't hesitate to fling the knife she was using to cut the banana bread right through his neck.

"He figured most of it out by himself, actually. I don't know how, considering you won't tell me _why_ you want revenge on Glimmer and Marvel in the first place, but I have my suspicions. All I did was fill in the blanks for him."

Turning to face him, she took a bite out of the bread and sat into her hip, eyeing him dangerously. "Don't tell anyone else."

Peeta raised his hands in mock surrender, "You have my word."

"Peeta," Clove threw her head back in bliss as she chewed on her slice of bread, successfully changing the topic, "I _love _your dad."

Shaking his head as he let out a laugh, Peeta rolled his eyes. "You love anybody who makes you food."

"Very true," she pointed out, smiling. Peeta stared at the girl standing his kitchen, catching a glimpse of the Clove he used to know. She had always been so laidback and carefree, in the best way possible. It was what made her such a likeable person. But by the time she was leaving for boarding school, her attitude had turned pretty tense and uptight. Her status as Queen Bee only remained in her power because she intimidated people into liking her, and her only real friend through it all had been Glimmer, who she was now planning to ship out of the state.

"Hello? Earth to Peeta!" he snapped back into reality to find Clove waving her hands in front of his face wildly.

"Sorry," he laughed, cracking his knuckles.

"Anyway," Clove started again, "we have much to discuss about this party. First off, we need to get the invitations sent out as soon as possible. I'm thinking we should invite around fifty people, because as I said before, it needs to be _very_ exclusive. I'm thinking maybe thirty people from school and twenty socialites, although I have been wondering if it would be better if we-"

"Clove," he interrupted her, "slow down. Your brain is going to go into overload."

"Can we just forget about this whole revenge plan for one day and relax by the pool?" she groaned, massaging her temples. There was still so much to do, but with so little time. She really shouldn't have procrastinated so much last week.

"Nope," Peeta shook his head stubbornly, "if these invitations aren't mailed out by tomorrow, they won't be received until only a few days before the party, which is unacceptable."

"I don't careee," she whined, throwing a mini temper tantrum in the middle of his kitchen. "I wanna go swim."

An amused expression came across his face, causing her to pout even more. It was unclear to him whether she was actually upset, or just downright delusional. His money was on the latter. After all, she'd been getting little to no sleep the past week, considering her dreams were filled with the haunting images of everything that had gone down only a little over a week ago.

"No more bread until you get started on the invitations," he smirked, and her eyes threatened to pop out of her head. That was flat out unfair.

"But-"

"No buts," he said firmly, and she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly as a miserable expression plastered itself on her face.

Yeah, she was definitely delusional.

* * *

_Friday night, one day until the party._

Clove, Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel were all crowded into Clove's king-sized bed, tucked in tightly under the blankets as they watched a scary movie. It was just like old times, before Glimmer and Marvel had gone and screwed everything up. This was, to a certain extent, Clove's twisted way of enjoying the last night of the four's friendship, or what remained of it at least. If things went according to plan tomorrow night, Glimmer would be out of the state in forty-eight hours, and Marvel's future as a politician would be nothing but a punch line.

The movie's intricate plot was unveiling itself right before their eyes, and Clove gripped the sheets so tightly that her knuckles started turning white. Marvel wrapped a protective arm around her waist, and she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, partially because she was unable to watch the gruesome scene any longer, but also because something deep inside of her enjoyed the glint of jealousy that appeared in Cato's eyes whenever she got too cozy with Marvel.

A rough hand placed itself on her bare thigh, and she sighed, assuming it was Marvel's. Her brow furrowed, however, when she noted that both of his hands were occupied. Eyes widening, she was a millisecond from swatting Cato's hand away when it moved closer to the inside of her thigh. She inhaled sharply, trying desperately to ignore the tingling sensation that spread itself throughout her veins. She recognized it from the night she lost her virginity to the blonde boy lying next to her: desire.

Her craving for his strong but gentle touch almost overruled her self-control, but she kicked his shin under the covers as a last ditch effort to prevent herself from climbing on top of him right then and now, causing him to wince in pain and remove his hand from her leg. Smirking, she glanced up at Marvel, who was, thankfully, still very focused on the movie. Glimmer, however, shot them a suspicious glance, and Clove couldn't help but notice how her head was resting on Cato's bare chest.

Slut.

Cato smirked at her, and her heart did that little fluttering thing that seemed to be happening every time she was around him lately. She needed to snap out of this. Now.

This was Cato Astoria, for hell's sake, and she was Clove Carlton.

"I need to use the bathroom," she said abruptly, climbing across Marvel so that Cato had a perfect view of her ass. Ever since that night, he had developed a certain fixation with her rear, and only when Marvel eyed him skeptically did Cato tear his eyes away from it. Clove closed the door behind herself as she headed down the hall towards the bathroom, leaving Cato in her bed with a growing desire for more of her. But there was no way in hell that he was making the first move. Maybe if it was Glimmer or Katniss or even fucking Johanna Mason he would use his perfect body to his advantage and give them no choice but to be with him, but Clove was different. How she had managed to worm herself into his icy heart, he had no idea, but one thing was for certain: He was falling for Clove Carlton, and fast.

* * *

_Saturday morning, day of the party._

The first rays of sunlight peeked through a crack in Clove's curtains, causing her to stir around in her bed. Marvel was snoring lightly next to her, while Glimmer was fast asleep in a white fuzzy chair across the room. Cato was nowhere to be found, so Clove crawled out of bed and tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs to find him perched over the kitchen counter stuffing his face with cereal.

"Morning loser," she greeted him playfully, grabbing a bowl out of the cabinet and pouring some cereal into it.

"Morning bitch," he retorted, grabbing another handful of cereal out of the box. "Sleep well with Marvel last night?"

"Of course," she smirked with a roll of her eyes. "Jealous?"

"Of course," his eyes trailed over her body slowly and he licked his lips, causing her to blush furiously.

"Stop that," she smacked him from across the counter, but the twinkle of mischievousness never left his eyes.

"Stop what?" he asked, his voice low and mock seductive.

Gosh, his flirtatiousness was repulsive.

"You know _what_," she laughed, but her heartbeat sped up when he walked around the island counter so that he was standing right beside her.

"No," he whispered in her ear, and the hotness of his breath on her neck sent goose bumps down her spine. "I don't think I do."

Shifting his body so that she was pinned against the counter, he rested his arms on her hips as they stared into each other's eyes. "Someone might see us," she protested weakly as he moved in towards her painfully slowly.

"Let them," he whispered right before his lips made contact with hers. She let her eyes drift closed as the kiss deepened in the middle of her kitchen, in plain sight of anyone who might come walking through. At this point, however, she didn't even care. All she wanted was him.

Never breaking the kiss, he wrapped his hands around her rear and lifted her up onto the kitchen counter swiftly. She moaned into the kiss, wrapping her legs tightly around his torso. Both of them knew what the repercussions of this would be, but neither of them did anything to stop it. All of the meaningless flirting and playful bickering was coming to a head, and Glimmer and Marvel were only one story up.

They were busy fighting for dominance when a shrill ring filled the air, causing Clove to have a mini heart attack. "Jesus!"

She grabbed her cell phone off the counter and accepted the call before resting her chin on Cato's shoulder. "Hello?" her voice was shaky, as she was still unhinged from what had just been happening between her and Cato.

"Hey, Clove." It was Annie.

"What's up?" her voice was tight as Cato trailed gentle kisses down her neck. He really had no idea what he did to her.

"I just…umm. I really need talk to you."

Cato nibbled on her collarbone seductively, and before she could stop herself, she hissed through clenched teeth, "Mmmmm."

"What?" Annie asked, confused.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, um sure, I'll stop by in a few hours. I gotta go though. Love you Ann! Bye!" the words flew out of her mouth, and she hung up the phone quickly and tossed it onto the counter before kissing Cato hard, unable to postpone her desire for him any longer.

* * *

Closing the door of her Mercedes, Clove headed up to the Astoria's front door, purse slung over her shoulder as the summer breeze blew through her knotty brown hair. Her party was starting in less than three hours, but here she was at Cato's house, nowhere near prepared. Ringing the doorbell, Cato answered the door and the butterflies in her stomach made a reappearance on impulse.

"Hey babe," he greeted, but she pushed past him.

"There's no time for that now," she said. "Where's Annie?"

"In her room."

Clove nodded and took off up the grand staircase without another word. She needed to get in and out of here as soon as possible if she wanted to be even remotely on time for this party. Walking into Annie's room without an invitation, she found the redhead lying on her bed playing on her phone.

"Clove!" Annie smiled, sitting up on the bed. "Come sit down."

Clove plopped onto the bed before glancing at Annie expectantly.

Inhaling deeply, Annie started, "Look, I know what happened between you and Cato two weeks ago."

Clove's heart sunk, and choosing her words very carefully, she said, "Did Cato tell you-"

"No," Annie interrupted her with a shake of her head. "I heard you guys talking about it the morning after, so I know what happened between you and Marvel, too. And if I know you as well as I think I know you, you wouldn't just forgive him like that. You'd at least make him work his ass off to get you back, but since that didn't happen, I can only assume that you've got something horrible planned for him and Glimmer at that party tonight."

Well, shit. The girl was smart; she had to give her that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clove swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Please, Clove," Annie started, shaking her head disappointedly, "please don't play dumb."

Clove sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. A gasp escaped from Annie's mouth, followed by a giggle. "Oh my gosh," she laughed, half astonished and half amused. "Did my brother do that to you?"

"What?" a puzzled Clove said. Annie pointed to the brunette's collarbone, and Clove didn't even have to look down to know what was there. "He didn't…"

Annie laughed, nodding, "He did."

"I am going to _kill _him!" she screeched, only causing Annie to erupt into a fit of giggles. Sure enough, there was a giant hickey at the base of her neck, and she couldn't even imagine how much make-up she was going to need to cover it up.

"Seriously though," Annie said, trying her best to calm her laughing. "I really think you should reconsider whatever you're planning to do to Glimmer and Marvel. Regardless of how much they've hurt you, revenge is not going to make you feel any better."

"Annie…" Clove started, at a loss for words. She knew deep in her gut that the kid was right, but she'd put too much effort into planning this damn party. No way in hell was she throwing all of that away now.

"I mean it, Clove. I don't care what you say. Glimmer is still your best friend, and Marvel loves you."

"I know!" she snapped, but her anger was replaced by a sudden sadness. "Goddamnit, I _know_. That's why it hurts. He could have had _anyone_, but he picked _her_!"

Sniffling, Clove squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry.

"Clove…" Annie crawled across the bed and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"Annie," she looked up at her friend dejectedly. "I can't do it. I can't hurt them like that, no matter what they've done to me. I hate them so much. I hate them for doing this to me, for turning me into _this_. And I hate them because they've hurt me so damn much yet I can't bring myself to stop loving them."

"I'm so proud of you, you know?" Annie's voice was gentle, and she smiled at Clove sweetly.

Standing up from the bed, Clove wiped away a tear and sighed. "I really should go. I've got a party to host, after all."

Annie stood up and hugged her tightly, "Bye."

"You're coming, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

She started to walk out, but turned around one more time. "Annie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she smiled genuinely.

"Anytime."

And then she left.

* * *

**Oooh! So this chapter is the longest one so far, if you were wondering :P By the way, I'm very **_**very**_** sorry that it took me so long to update. These past few weeks have been some of the most stressful weeks of my life, and to top it all off, my group of friends got into this gigantic fight that is nowhere near being resolved. But that's enough about me, what did you guys think of this chapter?**

**I'm hoping to explore Clove's relationship with some of the other characters beside Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel in the upcoming chapters, as well as give some more insight into what exactly happened at boarding school. Pleaseeee review and let me know what you think of this so far!**

**~xoxo **


	5. Bad Girls

**Thanks again to my lovely reviewers: ClovelyLittleReader, Guest (aww thank you!), Guest (here's the update you requested :P), Guest (yay! That's what I was going for!), OdairBear, rebecca (me too :D), clovelycato555, AutumnWillow18, and Hannie597. You guys are seriously what keeps me writing!**

* * *

Clove kneeled in front of her full-sized mirror, carefully applying the smokey eye to her eyelid. She needed to look _perfect _fortonight. Now that she had decided to cancel the revenge, she was actually excited for this party. Still, she was at a loss for what to do about the whole Marvel sleeping with Glimmer situation. How exactly was she to explain to him that she'd been plotting his downfall for the last two weeks but changed her mind at the very last minute after the guy she slept with as revenge on him's – aka his best friend – sister convinced her otherwise?

After smearing on a coat of scarlet shaded lipstick, she inspected her reflection in the mirror. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a straight, high, perfect ponytail that tied together her entire outfit. She wore a strapless black crop top, a sleeveless denim jacket, and a high waisted patterned skirt with black stiletto ankle boots.

Downstairs, workers scrambled around hurriedly, applying the finishing touches to the party decorations. Black and white balloons were everywhere, and strobe lights were dispersed throughout the first floor of her house. Finger foods were all over the place, and a song by _The Weeknd _blared through the surround sound speakers. The only thing missing was the partygoers, who would be arriving soon enough.

Suddenly, Peeta came barging through her front doors in a designer tuxedo with red suspenders. "Oh," he exclaimed flamboyantly as he looked around her house, "this is wonderful. Well done, Clove. Well done."

"Thank you," she smirked.

"And are you _positive _you don't want to carry through with this revenge plan?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," she said reluctantly, knowing nothing good would come from going through with it.

"What are you going to do about Marvel then?" he asked.

"Good question," she said with a slight laugh.

"You're screwed. You know that, right?"

"Yup," she said, popping the p. At this point, she was just planning on dumping him without any explanation. She was Clove Carlton, for heaven's sake, she was allowed to do that. But she already knew Marvel wasn't going to just accept her breaking up with him for no reason, which was where the problem came in. Even if she did just flat out end things with Marvel, how was she supposed to start publicly dating his best friend right after dumping him? And did she even _want _to start dating Cato? He was trouble with a capital T, and everyone knew it. God only knew the kind of shit she'd be getting herself into if she started going out with him.

"You could always just take the honest route. Tell Marvel and Glimmer everything and hope for the best?" he suggested, and she looked at him like he was crazy, resisting the growing urge to laugh. If only things were that easy. Telling them everything would also include the part where she lost her virginity to Cato in the back of a limo only minutes after she found out Marvel had cheated on her, which she fully intended to never _ever _tell anyone.

The doorbell rang, and she opened the door to see Glimmer standing there, clad in a short, almost see-through dress paired with gold pumps. Her hair fell in loose ringlets down her back, stopping gracefully around her ribcage. She really was beautiful; it was no wonder why Marvel chose her over Clove. Sighing slightly, Clove opened the door wider to let her inside.

"Thanks for coming," she genuinely smiled.

"Your welcome," she replied absentmindedly before walking inside and looking around nosily. If only she knew what Clove had been planning to do to her tonight…

Soon after, there was another knock at the door, and she opened it to find Cato, Marvel, and Finnick standing on her front porch looking pretty attractive, if she did say so herself. They were the 3 golden boys of Beverly Hills, and each of them had coveted spots on the renowned Panem Preparatory football team. Finnick was the quarterback, Marvel was the running back, and Cato was the tight end. Add in their charming personalities and hefty trust funds, and they were ultimately every girl's dream guys.

"Carlton," Finnick greeted, nodding at her coolly.

"Odair," she smirked back, imitating his head nod.

"Hey there Clover," Cato said before squeezing her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hi, Cato," she said, her voice tight. She needed to avoid him as much as possible tonight. If she got too close to him, they might start getting cozy, and she couldn't risk getting caught by anybody. As far as everyone else was concerned, Clove and Marvel were still in a committed relationship.

Marvel strolled in last, planting a long, intimate kiss on her lips.

"Get a room," Finnick groaned, and Clove broke apart from Marvel.

"He wishes," she smirked, enjoying the horrified looks both Glimmer and Cato were trying desperately to hide. Cato because he couldn't fathom the idea of Clove with anyone else but himself, and Glimmer because…why _was _Glimmer so bothered by the idea of Clove and Marvel together like that?

Assuming that Glimmer must still have feelings for him, Clove tugged Marvel closer to her before kissing him again, only more passionately this time. She was rubbing salt in Glimmer's wound, and even she knew that it was wrong, but a part of her needed Glimmer to feel the same hurt and betrayal that she had.

After a couple seconds of Clove and Marvel just making out in front of the whole group, Peeta coughed awkwardly, and they broke away. "Sorry," she apologized to her friends, smoothing down her skirt and blushing slightly. Damn, she was good at this whole fake girlfriend thing.

She and Cato made awkward eye contact, and he raised his eyebrows halfway, causing her to immediately feel guilty. The kiss meant nothing, he knew that, but she still felt bad about it.

The doorbell chimed again, and Katniss, Johanna, Annie, and at least a dozen other kids from Panem Academy came piling in, all dressed to a tee. The party seemed to be a smashing success for a while, as everyone danced and drank and gossiped about pointless topics. A couple hours and multiple martinis later, however, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Clove and Marvel stumbled into a guest bedroom at half past ten while Cato glared from a distance. What the hell did Clove think she was doing? Maybe she was just drunk, but he could've sworn she'd only had one or two drinks over the last few hours. If Marvel tried _anything _with her, he swore he would tear him in half and feed his limbs one by one to the –

"Dude," Finnick interrupted his train of thought as he strolled over, plastic red cup in hand, "You're burning a fucking hole through that door."

Cato snapped his head in his direction, "So?"

"So I could've sworn I saw Marvel and Clove go in there like two minutes ago," Finnick stated.

"And?" Cato said, gritting his teeth. He didn't need reminding.

"Relax, man," Finnick put his hands up in mock surrender. "I just figured you'd be happy for Marvel for finally getting some ass out of Clove. Like, he's been waiting for her for fucking forever."

Cato's blood boiled, but he knew he couldn't say shit without blowing their entire cover. It was Marvel _not_ being able to wait for Clove that created this whole damn mess anyway. "You're drunk, Finnick," Cato finally said, blocking away the urge to blab about everything that had happened within the last two weeks.

"Damn right I am," Finnick replied, raising his cup high in the air before stumbling off into the crowd of dancing teenagers. At least _that _conversation was over.

Cato scanned the room of people, spying Glimmer across the room as she grinded on some guy from Hidden Hills Academy, a preppy college prep school much like their own. Cato vaguely recognized him as the quarterback for HHA's football team, which was defeated by Panem Preparatory in the championships last year.

In the corner, a smashed Johanna Mason was hooking up with Gloss Montgomery, another member of the exclusive Panem Prep football team. It certainly wasn't every day that you saw _that_.

It was starting to seem like everyone at this party was having fun except for Cato, so he eventually made his way onto the dance floor, where he stopped short of himself. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision because he was almost positive that he was hallucinating. Only five feet in front of him, his innocent and pure little sister was shoving her tongue down Finnick's throat, and he was doing the same to her. It was _very_ unexpected, to say the least.

"Annie," he growled, momentarily forgetting about Clove and Marvel and whatever was going on behind their closed door.

At the sound of her name, Annie reluctantly broke away from Finnick and glanced up, all the blood draining from her face when she saw Cato standing there. She was so caught up with Finnick that she hadn't even remembered that Cato was at this party. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath. In reality, she was only one year younger than Cato, but he insisted on treating her like she was a five year old.

"Please tell me that I'm imagining things and I _didn't _just see my baby sister doing _that_ to one of my best friends," he said, trying desperately to remove the horrifying image from his mind.

Annie was about to reply when Marvel stormed out from nowhere and punched Cato directly in the jaw. That was sure as hell going to leave a mark.

* * *

Clove pushed Marvel into her spare bedroom before slamming the door shut and locking it. She pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him, enjoying the thrilled look in his eyes. So maybe she liked him a_ little_ bit more than she'd originally thought. After all, he had a killer body, and he'd been acting especially nice all night long. Maybe she could just forget about Cato for tonight…

No, what was she thinking? Despite what her wild teenage hormones were demanding right now, she could never do that to Cato. But, then again, here was Marvel, unknowing and willing to do whatever she wanted to do with him…no, absolutely not, she had to snap out of this. How could she even _consider _hurting Cato like that? She was officially a horrible person, on so many different levels.

Marvel kissed her neck hungrily, causing her to suppress the moan that was rising very quickly in her throat. Shit, how was she supposed to deny him when he was doing things like _that _to her? Suddenly, he stopped, sitting up on the bed and analyzing something on her neck.

"Clove," he said in the voice he used when he was trying to control his temper, "what the fuck is _that_?"

Shit. Immediately, she knew exactly what he was talking about, and she looked down guiltily.

"I'm almost positive that _I _didn't give you that hickey," he stated, staring at her with shock and betrayal prominent in his eyes. "So who did?"

"I…umm…"

He looked down dejectedly, shaking his head in amazement, "Did you cheat on me?"

She nodded slightly, unwilling to lie to him when he clearly already knew the truth.

"With who?" he asked patiently, containing his anger for the time being.

"Marvel, I-" she started, but he interrupted her, his voice louder and more furious than before.

"_Who _did that to you?" he demanded, standing up from the bed.

"Marvel, you're scaring me," she said, backing away from him.

"Don't I deserve to know who could possibly be so important to you that you would throw away our entire relationship to be with!" he shouted, and it was a wonder that no one had come knocking on the door yet to make sure everything was all right.

"_What relationship!?_" she screamed back at him, venom lacing her words as all of the hurt and betrayal from that night came flooding back to her. "The relationship that _you _ruined when you slept with my _best friend_?"

"God," he scoffed in disbelief, "I thought we were over that."

"Over it?! Are you fucking _kidding _me? You screwed my best friend, and you expect me to just forget about it and start over? These past two weeks have meant absolutely _nothing _to me. _You _mean nothing to me!" she yelled louder than she thought was humanly possible, letting out everything she hadn't yet had the chance to. He just stood there for a moment, stunned, and she pushed past him, making her way to the door.

"Oh," she stopped right in front of the door, glaring daggers at him, "you want to know who I've been fucking? _Cato._"

Marvel recoiled in shock and disbelief, and Clove smirked before disappearing into the crowd of dancing teenagers. Hatred spread itself through his veins, and clenching his fists tightly, he stormed out of the room, almost immediately spotting Cato across the room by Finnick and Annie. After pushing through the hordes of teenagers angrily, he punched Cato with all of his might, enjoying the red mark that almost immediately showed up on his defined jawline.

"What the fuck, man?" Cato roared when he saw that Marvel was the one who delivered the blow.

"Did you sleep with her?" Marvel shouted, backing him into a nearby wall. He didn't even look like Marvel anymore. His hair was ruffled and wild, and there was a crazy look in his eyes.

"What? Sleep with _who_?" Cato asked, furrowing his eyebrows. His jaw was throbbing, and he resisted the growing urge to knock Marvel out.

"Did you or did you not _bang_ my girlfriend?" Marvel said, an unusual calmness taking over his body. He was holding onto the hope that Clove was just lying to him to hurt him and that Cato hadn't ever actually done anything with her.

That hope was quickly diminished when Cato looked down guiltily, mumbling, "Fuck."

Marvel glared at Cato before delivering another punch, only to his eye this time. Cato stood there dumbly, feeling overwhelmingly guilty for an unknown reason. He was Cato Astoria; he wasn't supposed to feel remorseful for _anything_, even if that thing was sleeping with his best friend's girlfriend.

A circle of bystanders had already formed around them as they chanted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Suddenly, Clove came pushing through the crowd, eyes widening when she saw Marvel repeatedly punching Cato in the face. "Marvel!" she screeched, horrified. "Stop! Stop hitting him!" Grabbing his arm, she pulled him away from Cato, panting heavily.

"Get your slutty hands _off _of me," Marvel shot at her, causing the onlookers to gasp sharply.

Clove looked up, suddenly very aware that literally everyone around her knew she'd lost her virginity to Cato Astoria, one of the most unromantic and repulsive people on this entire planet.

"What the hell is going on?" Glimmer slurred, emerging from the crowd suddenly.

"Great," Clove said under her breath, "Just what this situation needed."

Marvel let out an emotionless laugh, "Our little friend Clove here has been screwing Cato while she was going out with me for the past two weeks."

"Only because _you two_," Clove said angrily, looking back and forth between them, "did the same thing first!"

"Oh, my God," Glimmer mumbled, sobering up quickly. "Clove, I…I'm–"

"Save it, Glimmer," she glared. "If you were sorry, you would have come to me and told me about it the day after it happened, but you didn't, did you?"

Glimmer avoided eye contact with her, shamefully looking down. "I never meant to hurt you, Clove."

Clove scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "I'm sure."

"Please don't hate me," Glimmer said in a small voice.

"It's too late, Glimmer," Clove replied coldly. She was being unfair and irrational, but she couldn't help it. Glimmer deserved to feel the same brokenness and loneliness as she had that horrible night two weeks and one day ago.

Tears sprung to the blonde's eyes, and she turned on her heel quickly, disappearing into the crowd. "Glimmer!" Marvel chased after her, and Clove buried her face in her hands.

"Clove," Cato's hoarse voice said from a few feet in front of her, and she peeked up, her forest green eyes meeting his ice blue ones. "I need to know," he continued, struggling to get the next part out, "Were you or were you not going to sleep with Marvel in that bedroom tonight?"

She sighed dejectedly, "Honestly? I don't know." She'd been telling the truth all night, may as well not break that chain now.

"That's all I needed to hear," he replied emotionlessly before pushing past her and through the throng of teenagers. All around her were people, but somehow she'd never felt so alone.

* * *

**Hello lovelies :) First of all, I thought I'd let you know I started another Clato story called Backwards, so you should definitely go read and review and favorite and follow it :P Don't worry, I promise not to forget about this story. Royals is still going to be my number 1 priority, but I'll write Backwards when I'm not in the mood to write modern day AU stuff.**

**Also, I am **_**begging**_** you to review review review! I honestly love reading all of your reviews. They make me so happy! Anyway, please let me know what you liked (or didn't like), what you think should happen next, etc.. I really do take all of your ideas into consideration!**

**~xoxo~**


	6. Holding Out for a Hero

**A great big thank you to AutumnWillow18, cutegirlems, Guest, Guest, Rhea, BamSQUARED, Victoria-Hunter-Of-Artemis, Guest, Guest, 321Clato, Guest, and Guest for being super cool people and reviewing :P**

* * *

The atmosphere in The Rose Garden, one of the most exclusive clubs in Beverly Hills, was relatively calm, probably because it was a Sunday night and all of the fun people were still recovering from their festivities of the night before. Clove, Katniss, and Johanna relaxed on one of the modernized couches near the dance floor, legs crossed and fingers typing away on their cell phones. A Jay Z song blared through the high quality speakers in the club, and finishing off her drink, Clove dragged Kat and Jo onto the dance floor.

"Clove," Johanna groaned, folding her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Stop being a pissy pants and dance," Clove rolled her forest green eyes, which were practically invisible behind all of the make-up on her face. Her lips were a light pink color, her eyelids covered in neutral colors and thick eyeliner.

Strobe lights danced across their bodies as the three of them moved their hips to the tempo of the song. They stayed like that for hours, dancing with nearly every single person on the floor at one point or another until the three of them were far past tipsy. Clove sighed, wishing that the alcohol could make her forget about…well, everything. Not Glimmer, Marvel, or Cato had made any effort to contact her in the last 24 hours, and she could physically feel her heart shattering with every second that went by without a word from them. Regardless of how much they hurt her, she found it literally impossible for her to hate them. Because she wanted to hate them, she really did, but all of the memories they had together refused to let her just forget about them.

Falling back onto the uncomfortable grey couch, Clove pressed two fingers to her temples and massaged gently. The pounding of the music was giving her a migraine, and all she really wanted was to just go home.

"Hey, baby."

Clove glanced up to see a typical Beverly Hills guy standing in front of her. He wore a Ralph Lauren polo shirt paired with a navy blue blazer, and the urge to knock him out only grew stronger as he continued talking.

"You look lonely."

"Way to state the obvious, Sherlock," she snorted, not in the mood to be flirting with random guys whose names she probably wouldn't even remember in the morning.

"Come on, don't be like that," he said smoothly, sliding onto the couch and placing a hand on her upper thigh.

She scoffed, removing his hand from her leg. "Do _not _touch me."

"Why? You don't like it when I touch you?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I don't."

"Bitch," he mumbled under his breath before standing up from the couch.

"Oh?" she spat at the guy who couldn't be any older than 18 or 19 at the most. "_I'm _a bitch? Because, if I recall correctly, _you _were the one who put your filthy hands on me first. And if you've made the incorrect assumption that everyone in this town is going to fall at your oversized feet just because you have a little bit of money, you're kidding yourself. So I suggest that you don't act like such an, I don't know, arrogant _asshole _next time you try to flirt with a girl at one of these clubs."

"Calm the fuck down," he slurred, rolling his eyes. "I just wanta get laid."

As the guy stumbled over to a girl who was sitting alone at the bar, Clove practically fumed. She was so fed up with the people in this town, from Marvel to Cato to that asshole who was – annoyingly – succeeding at flirting with the girl at the bar. Every single one of the guys in this town walked around with their chins tilted upwards, acting like they owned the place.

Abruptly, Clove rose from her spot on the sofa and grabbed Katniss and Johanna by their wrists. "We're going home," she said sternly, leaving no room for discussion.

"What? Why?" they slurred, but Clove ignored them.

Only minutes later, they were piling into Clove's limo as she gave the driver directions to their houses. Both of them were passed out in less than five minutes, and Clove regretted ever going out tonight at all. It hadn't made her feel any better about herself…if anything, she felt _worse_.

Pulling out her white iPhone from her purse, she sighed when she saw that there was still no word from Glimmer, Marvel, or Cato. All she needed was one text or call, just so she would know that they still cared about her. But maybe she just needed to accept it…maybe they didn't care about her anymore.

After drifting off into a dreamless sleep, Clove didn't wake up again until her chauffer nudged her and let her know that she was home safely. She made her way up to her front door dazedly as she breathed in the fresh, summer night air. The palm trees that lined her street blew in the wind, and a white Ferrari sped down the road, music blaring.

After fumbling around her purse for a minute, she pulled out her keys and entered her house silently. Dropping her Prada handbag on the round table in her foyer, she was headed in the direction of her kitchen when a muffled noise coming from the guest bedroom stopped her dead in her tracks.

What the hell was that? Was she being robbed? Should she call the police? Her mom was surely upstairs in the master bedroom, her dad was out of town with business, and most of the help had already been released for the night.

Deciding to crack the door open ever so slightly, Clove peeked in, bracing herself for the insane man dressed in all black carrying a gun that was sure to be in there. But, upon entering the bedroom, she realized that there was no burglar in the room at all. No, it was something much, _much _worse, and bile rose in her throat at the horrendous sight. Tears immediately dotted her eyes, and her manicured hands flew to her mouth.

"_Mom_?" she asked, jaw dropping.

There, on the queen-sized bed of the guest bedroom, lay her mother, half naked and on top of a man Clove had never seen before. Both of the aforementioned people sat up in bed at the sound of Clove's voice, all of the blood draining from her mother's face when she saw her daughter.

"Clove," her mother immediately stuttered, "I…I can-"

"No," Clove spat at her mother angrily, "let me guess. _You can explain_?"

Her mother buried her face in her hands guiltily, and Clove couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of satisfaction at the tears that threatened to overflow from her mom's eyes. It was nothing she hadn't brought onto herself, anyway.

"How could you do this to dad? To _me_?" Clove continued, tears rushing down her face. How could someone ever be so damn selfish?

"Clove, I know you don't understand. How could you? You're only a junior, after all. But I love this man, I do, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

Her mother's words made her sick to her stomach, and upon further inspection, Clove realized with a sinking feeling that she did know the man in bed with her mother. And if her mom did indeed decide to marry this man, not only would Clove have a new father, but two new siblings would be involved as well. Twins. Gloss and Cashmere Montgomery, to be exact. How could her mother do this to her?

"Please," her mother begged, a pained expression on her face, "please say something."

"I…" Clove hesitated, not really wanting to say the words but knowing that she needed to let her mother know how much she'd hurt her. "I hate you."

At that, she stormed out of the room and then out of her house altogether, sliding into her Mercedes and speeding out of the driveway of her mansion. She drove in the direction of Cato's house, not even caring that he probably hated her after last night. She needed to tell _someone_ about this, even if that someone was Cato. He knew her family better than anyone else; surely he had some kind of advice for her.

It took less than ten minutes for her to arrive at his house, and she practically leaped out of her car, tears still streaming down her face. Knocking urgently, a feeling of relief filled her when Cato opened the door and didn't look like he wanted to kill her. He wore nothing but a pair of boxers, and she let her eyes linger down _there_ for an extra second before looking up into his big blue eyes. She could tell that he was hesitant and that he probably didn't really want to forgive her, but he'd always had a soft spot for Clove, especially when she was hurt.

"Cato," she sobbed loudly, unable to contain her emotion any longer.

"Clove," his tone was laced with concern and worry, "what happened?" Clove collapsed into his open arms, crying into his shoulder for a good ten minutes until his chest was wet with her tears. A million thoughts ran through her head, yet all she seemed to be able to focus on was the way his abdomen muscles tightened and released when he spoke. "Come on," he instructed, guiding her toward his living room, "come sit down."

"H-how could she do something like that?" Clove cried, wiping away at her never-ending tears. "Why would she do this to me?"

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Cato asked her, gently scratching her back as she curled into a ball on his couch.

"My mom!" she exclaimed, crying even harder.

"What?" Cato furrowed his eyebrows. "What did your mom do?"

"She…she slept with another man! A man who is not my father and does not love her as much as my father does and is already the father to two of the most aggravating people I've ever spoken to!"

Cato's jaw dropped. "Your mom _cheated _on your dad?"

Clove nodded weakly, cuddling into his warm and secure side. He wrapped a protective arm around her, completely forgetting everything that had happened the night before. They stayed like that for a while, until her tears dried and the little hand crept past the three on the clock hanging on Cato's living room wall.

She looked up into his forgiving eyes and realized that he was looking at her the way she'd always wanted to be looked at. He was looking at her like he loved her. "Do you want to kiss me?" she whispered softly.

Cato thought for a minute before finally replying with a small smile, "One day."

* * *

Clove woke up snuggled into Cato's arms early the next morning, although she wasn't greeted with the same shame and regret as the last time she awoke in his bed. The feeling of his bare chest rising and falling filled her with a sense of security, and she wanted nothing more than to climb on top of him and have her way with him. But they'd agreed last night that they were going to take things slow this time around, which basically meant that neither one of them would be getting past first base any time soon.

Everything in her life seemed perfect for those first few seconds of being awake, until she remembered why she'd come to his house in the first place. Tears sprung to her eyes again, but she refused to let them fall. She was stronger than this. No way in hell was she just going to sit back and let her mother singlehandedly destroy her family. She needed to do something about this, and soon, before it was too late.

"Cato," she nudged him awake, smiling as he opened his eyes sleepily.

"Good morning," he smiled back at the sight of her tangled hair and tired eyes. He could definitely get used to this.

She sighed, "What am I supposed to do about this whole situation with my mom?"

Cato's face fell as he recalled everything she'd told him last night. It was so unlike Clove's mom to do something like that; he was still in shock. Tucking a piece of hair behind Clove's ear, he answered, "What do you want to do about it?"

"I want to make sure that she stays married to my dad and dumps Mr. Montgomery's sorry ass."

"Wait," Cato interrupted, "the man your mom's been sleeping with is Mr. Montgomery?"

Clove nodded.

"As in Gloss and Cashmere's father?"

She nodded again.

"What the _fuck_?" he said in pure shock.

"My thoughts exactly," she looked down, sighing.

"Clove," Cato said gently, "are you okay? About everything, I mean. Not just your mom, but…the whole situation with Glimmer and Marvel."

"I'm as okay as I can be, I guess," she replied honestly.

He ran his fingers through her hair delicately, and she knew then that she didn't deserve him. She was conniving and sarcastic and bitchy, and Cato…he was kind and caring and he treated her better than she could ever hope to be treated.

The two of them spent the next hour and a half just lying there in each other's arms, enjoying the pure presence of the other, until eventually drifting back into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Glimmer pulled into the large circle drive of the Astoria mansion as the summer breeze blew through her wavy blonde hair. Annie had called her about an hour ago and begged her to come over as soon as she possibly could. Apparently she was having some kind of emergency that only Glimmer could help her out with.

She made her way past the fountain in the front yard and up the stone walkway to the front door. Ringing the doorbell, her face fell when Clove answered the door. Her former best friend was clad in one of Cato's giant t-shirts, and Glimmer scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "Typical."

"Cato," Clove called up the stairs warily, "What is _she _doing here?"

"Huh? What is who doing-" a shirtless Cato emerged at the top of the stairs, pausing when he saw Glimmer on his front porch. "I don't know."

"I invited her," said Annie as she casually strolled into the foyer from the living room.

"_Why_?" Clove said, narrowing her eyes at the auburn haired girl.

"Because, "Annie sighed, walking past Clove and opening the door wider for Glimmer to enter, "you, Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel are best friends…you always have been. I'm not just going to sit here pathetically and let you throw all of that away over a stupid argument."

"Were," Glimmer corrected her. "We _were_ best friends."

Annie ignored her, "Marvel should be here any minute now."

"Annie," Cato growled, walking down the stairs slowly before stopping next to Clove. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist, and she leaned into his side comfortably.

Glimmer scoffed, "Of course."

Clove glared at her, "Shut the fuck up, Glimmer. You have no fucking idea what you're talking about." She turned to Annie apologetically, "Excuse my French."

"Don't speak to me like that," Glimmer said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'll speak to you however the hell I want to," Clove replied bluntly, breaking out of Cato's arms and taking a dangerous step towards her.

"Clove," Cato warned, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her back to him.

The doorbell rang once again, and Marvel came walking inside without an invitation, stopping when he saw Glimmer, Clove, and Cato. "Annie," he started, "I'm getting the feeling that you didn't invite me over here to help you with any kind of 'emergency'."

"No, I didn't, " Annie shut the door behind him. "Now follow me."

She headed off in the direction of the living room, and the four of them reluctantly followed her. "Sit down," she motioned to the leather couch, and they complied. "Now look, I get why you're all pissed at each other, I do. She slept with him so her best friend slept with his best friend and then she almost slept with him while they were drunk and blah blah blah…If you two," she looked at Marvel and Cato, "could just learn to keep it in your pants, everything would be _much _simpler."

Cato was horrified to hear his baby sister talking like this, and even more horrified that she basically knew every dirty detail of his sex life.

"Marvel and I slept together because we love each other," Glimmer protested, "whereas Cato and Clove only did what they did for revenge."

Clove rolled her eyes, "What makes you think Cato and I don't love each other?"

To be completely honest, Clove wasn't entirely sure if they did love each other. She glanced over at Cato nervously, and he smiled, taking her hand and linking it with his own.

"For starters, you're Clove Carlton and he's…Cato. You two don't just go around loving people, especially not each other," Glimmer said matter-of-factly, purposely ignoring their slight display of affection.

"Valid argument," Clove snorted.

"Shut the fuck up," Glimmer retorted.

"Besides, why should I believe that you and Marvel love each other? If I'm not mistaken, it was less than 48 hours ago that he and I were alone…in bed…on top of each other," Clove smirked, immediately feeling guilty when Cato tensed up next to her. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and he relaxed slightly.

"Marvel _wasn't_ going to sleep with you, Clove," Glimmer said angrily, and Clove barked out a laugh.

"Did he tell you that? Because the growing, umm, _situation _below his waist begged to differ."

A horrified look came across Glimmer's face, and she immediately turned to Marvel, who was blushing a deep shade of red. "I…umm…" he stuttered.

Glimmer glared at Clove, "You know what? I don't even care. Marvel and I love each other, and we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, no thanks to you."

"You keep telling yourself that," Clove rolled her eyes, sarcasm seeping through her tone.

"It's true," Glimmer protested, infuriated.

"I'm sure," Clove wasn't even bothering to hide her amusement now, and it was making Glimmer's blood boil.

Glimmer clenched her fists tightly, and she was seconds away from throwing the first punch at Clove when Annie realized what was about to happen and threw herself between the two girls.

"Were you going to _hit _me?" a dumbfounded Clove asked, although she already knew the answer. "You crazy _bitch_!"

"Me!?" Glimmer screamed. "_You're _the one who's been throwing yourself at every guy you so much as _speak _to! First Marvel, then Cato, then Marvel again, and now Cato…again! Why don't you make up your fucking mind?"

"How dare you?" It was Clove's turn to be pissed off now.

"What?" Glimmer feigned innocence. "It's not like everyone here doesn't already know it."

"Cato," Clove said, trying desperately to contain her anger, "she needs to leave. Now."

"Glimmer…" Cato started.

Glimmer scoffed, "Are you really going to kick me out, Cato? After everything we've been through."

"Stop embarrassing yourself, and just leave," Clove rolled her eyes, regaining leadership in their power struggle.

Glimmer narrowed her eyes, deciding to use the one thing she had that she knew would tear Clove apart, "You know…I've always wondered what it would feel like to _always _be someone's second choice."

The brunette raised her eyebrows as her curiosity peaked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Glimmer," Cato lowered his tone, "don't."

"Don't what?" Clove's voice cracked.

"So I assume Cato _didn't _already tell you?" Glimmer was taunting her now, twisting the knife she'd long since stabbed in Clove's back.

"Tell me what?" Tears sprung to her eyes because she knew what was coming next. It was just like that God-forsaken night when she'd met up with Marvel at the hotel.

"Cato and I slept together," she smirked.

"Clove," he'd never seen her look so broken, "please just let me explain."

She stood up from the couch, yelling, "No! God, _no_! I am _sick _of letting people _explain _why they fucked up."

"It was years ago, Clove! It meant nothing!"

"How could you not tell me? After everything with Marvel…And _you_," Clove averted her attention from Cato to point an accusing finger at Glimmer, "is there anyone in this town you _haven't _slept with?"

Clove stormed out of the house, and Cato chased after her, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her around to face him. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, staring into her eyes deeply as a million emotions passed across his face. He spoke desperately and hurriedly, "Please don't leave me. Please."

"Give me one good reason as to why I should stay," a single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and trickled down her face.

"Because I love you, Clove Carlton."

* * *

******So here is the long-awaited update :) I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I've already started working on the next one, so _hopefully _I can have it done by either next weekend or the one after that!**

******Please pleaseee review. I'm not asking you to write a novel in response either…even the two or three word reviews make me happy :P**

******PS did anyone catch how I named the club they were at in the beginning 'The Rose Garden' in honor of President Snow's rose garden? Hahahha i'm so punny.**

**~xoxo~**


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